Halo: Installation 07
by ODSTHelljumpers
Summary: With the Infinity fleet busy at Requiem, a new task force has been forged: Kilo 9. Consisting of 5 state-of-the-art ships, Marine Battalions, ODST platoons and Spartan IV fire teams, Kilo 9's task is to investigate the newly discovered Installation 07 for any signs of Flood or Forerunner activity... A task that is a lot easier said than done.
1. Chapter 1: Kilo 9

**Hey guys :D this is my very first fanfic, so please, if you like it follow/favourite and no matter how you feel towards it, please review! I'd love to hear what you guys think :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Halo, 343, Xbox or any related and equally awesome industries. **

The UNSC Anima Libera was a marvel of technology that had been scrapped together from what Forerunner equipment had been found, and what Covenant kit had been stolen. It wasn't as impressive as the Infinity, but it could still capture the eyes of any sailor that looked upon her. Primarily a space-to-space combat ship, she wasn't well equipped to deploy soldiers and equipment onto a battlefield, but she could blow apart the average, and even above average, Covenant vessel that crossed her with minimal force. Her deployment limitations were quite severe however. Which was where the Foreshadow came in. A massive carrier, outshined only by the Infinity, she was carrying three full strength battalions of UNSC Marines, two company's of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers from the 105th battalion, a detachment consisting of thirty two fully operational Spartan IV's, and four squadrons of Pelicans and crew. And that was just the troops. Her motor pools were full to the brim with multiple M12 FAV Warthog variations, Scorpion tanks, Mongoose's and Hornets. Tasked with keeping the carrier safe was the UNSC Falijua, a frigate with enough cannons to level mountain ranges with a single volley. The Falijua had several platoons of Marines embarked, who could be deployed at a moments notice, along with multiple squadrons of Longsword space combat fighters. The fourth ship in the strike force, the UNSC Gears of Eternity, was a destroyer, fitted out to not only be able to take down any Covenant ship, but also drop a payload of one hundred and twenty ODST's onto the battlefield. The flagship, Bladerunner, was a truly massive ship. Smaller than the Infinity by only a few hundred meters and a dozen or so decks, she was able to drop ODST's, Marines, or even up to a platoon of Spartan IV's anywhere on the battlefield almost instantaneously. Add the sheer firepower in her armourment and she was an absolutely devastating machine created to show the Covenant that humanity had been pushed around for to damn long.

The five ships of Task Force: Kilo 9 had been sent out with the primary objective of locating, securing, and dismantling any Forerunner installations they could find. The Infinity was doing an excellent job, but they simply needed more ships in more places. And thus, Kilo 9 was born. Five ships with five very different CO's, sent out to decommission Forerunner artefacts. The ships had been loaded to the brim with enough supplies and equipment to get the job done. The task force could deploy hundreds of ODST's onto a battlefield in seconds, to secure landing zones for the Pelicans to deploy the several battalions of Marines. Kilo 9 was one of the most advanced task force's ever assembled in human history, second only to the Infinity fleet. The task force had been assigned to Installation 07, a Halo ring that had been discovered recently. It was a small ring, much smaller then it's predecessor's. It still posed a threat however, so it had to be cleared.

"For god's sake, don't point it at me!"

The Gunnery Sergeant's roar could be heard throughout the armoury and into the hanger. A squad of Marines were scattered around the hanger, talking, cleaning and assembling their kit, or playing cards. A trio sat resting against a pile of large crates in the corner of the hanger, their kit arranged in front of them. One of them, a young Corporal Dominic Ellis, gave a laugh as the gunny could be heard yelling. "Jesus. The green's are already in gunny's bad books."

The Marine sitting to his left, Lance Corporal Riley West, scoffed. "Everyone's in gunny's bad books. We went through this already."

The third Marine, another Lance Corporal by the name of Jacob Brown shook his head. "It's probably because he has to deal with you every day."

West slammed his fist into a crate. "Exactly! He singles me out every sodding time. It's bull."

Ellis watched as the Private's filed out of the armoury, looking swamped by their kit. They held the MA5D rifles like they were holy objects. They stood awkwardly around the Pelican, unsure of what to really do. The gunny looked at them like they were Elites. "The hell are you all doing?" He said bluntly. "You want to stand around for an hour, that's fine by me. But I suggest you go take a seat somewhere."

The Private's all scattered around the hanger, trying to copy what the more experienced platoon members were doing. Ellis pulled his SRS 99-S5 AM sniper's rifle off the deck and double checked it was in full working condition. He was the platoon sniper, as well as the best scout in the unit. While he didn't like to brag, the gunny and CO certainly took pride in having him in the unit. A lot of the Privates often approached him for tips, because generally, the average recruit couldn't shoot for shit. He was from a farm on a backwater colony named Kholo. He had been using long rifles since he was eleven, and had been around firearms since he was born. Growing up on a farm in the middle of nowhere was tough. He had learnt how to hunt, how to track, and how to live off the land. It was what made him such a good scout. He knew more about survival when he was twelve then most enlisting recruits did. He was often the first Marine on the ground, and almost always at the head of the pack. He took a lot of pride in that. He sat the rifle down gently on the deck and sorted his kit. 99-S5 mags, MRE's, a canteen, MA5D mags, bandages, water purification tablets, flares, smoke grenades, night vision goggles, a weapons cleaning kit, radio and data pad. Standard issue kit. He glanced over at the hangar dors slid open, revealing Captain Elliot. He jumped to his feet and snapped to attention. "Two-Seven Tactical, atten-tion!" He called, his voice booming through the hangar. The platoon all jumped up and snapped to attention, some holding MA5D's. The Gunnery Sergeant saluted, to which the Captain returned. "At ease men."

The platoon relaxed, and continued to stow their gear. The CO exchanged a few words with the Gunny and began to make his way around the men, checking on them. Ellis sat back and relaxed. He had learnt long ago how to pack everything away quick and sharp. His armour was locked and ready to go, with his helmet on the floor at his feet. A standard issue combat knife was strapped onto the left side of the chest plate, close to his shoulder. An M6G magnum was strapped to his thigh, a back-up weapon if shit hit the fan. MA5D and M6G mags were strapped to his legs, belt, and combat vest. Several 99-S5 mags were in various pockets of his combat vest, along with some matches, a flare and some MRE's. HE-DP fragmentation grenades and SS MK2 smoke grenades were clipped onto his belt. He was ready to deploy into just about any situation. He sat back and smiled watching the junior platoon members frantically assembling their kit. "Hey, Ellis? Why do you think they're sending us in?"

Ellis turned his head towards West. "What do you mean?"

West cocked his head. "Well, we've got Spartan IV's and ODST's at our disposal... So why us? Why just Marines?"

"Because the Spartans and ODST have other targets Lance Corporal. And because we're a cut above then the average Marine platoon."

The three Marines turned to see Captain Elliot behind them. "Sir!" Ellis said, jumping to his feet.

He made to salute, but Elliot waved it off. "Don't worry about it son. Just wanted to clarify a few things with you."

"Sir?"

"Your medic trained, am I correct?"

He nodded. "Trained sir, yes, just not officially certified as a Combat Life Saver, or Combat Medic."

"That doesn't matter. In case Matherson gets hit on the ground, I want a second medic-trained Marine with us. That'd be you son. Go find Private Markov, he should still be near the Armoury. Grab some medic gear off him and get ready to move out."

"Understood, sir!" Ellis pulled his MA5D over his shoulders, pulled his pack over the top and grabbed his helmet. He slipped it onto his head, and hefted his sniper rifle. He held it alert carry style, and moved off towards the armoury. The gear weighed a lot, and would weigh even more with the medic gear. He smiled as the Private's admired the rifle, several nodding in his direction. He saw a single Marine standing near the armoury, looking swamped in his equipment. He looked like it was his first deployment, and looked young enough to still be in high school. The Marine saw him and turned. "Corporal Ellis?"

"You know it. You've got med-gear for me?"

"Yes boss. Pressure bandages, morphine, epinephrine, bio foam and dressings."

Ellis nodded. "Sounds good," He said. He pulled his pack off his shoulders and opened it, placing it on the deck. "Gimme a hand loading this in a Private."

Markov nodded. He grabbed the equipment and began sorting it into the kit bag. Ellis glanced behind him. The rest of the platoon were loading into a Pelican. "Let's hurry this up Private."

They stuffed the rest of the gear into the pack, as Ellis pulled it back onto his shoulders, and jogged towards the Pelican. They climbed up onto the "blood tray" as it was infamously dubbed.

The pilot fired the thrusters, leaving the deck. The ramp closed, sealing the Marines in. The troop bay was flooded with red light. "Rightio boys," The Captain called, his voice booming inside the confined bay. "Standard SOP's on ground: this area is not a free fire zone, at least not until we take contact. You see movement, you call it in. Considering how many new additions we have I'll go through our chain of command. Naturally, the Gunnery Sergeant and I are at the top. In the event that we are unavailable, command falls down to Corporal's Ellis and McKinley. In the event that all NCO's are down, platoon command will fall upon Lance Corporal West."

West looked slightly startled at this. "Now... Let's go through our formation." The CO continued. "No-one leaves the Pelican until Corporal Ellis has hit the dirt and called all clear. Once we're all on the ground, fan out, I want three-sixty security of the area. Ellis will be our point man, and scout. No-one gets ahead of him. Everyone understand?"

"Yes sir!" The platoon chorused.

"Excellent. Let's get this done."


	2. Chapter 2: Touchdown

Ellis stood at the rear of the Pelican, leaning against the closed bay door. He cradled the sniper rifle carefully, careful not to bump the zeroing dials. They probably wouldn't change with the caps on if you hit it with a hammer, but better safe than sorry. The Pelican rocked slightly, flaring out to touch-down. "LZ looks clear!" The female pilot said cheerily. "I'm bringing us down."

Riley felt the Pelican lower, then hold. The red bay lights flickered green. The bay door lowered with a hiss. "Ellis! Double time!" The Captain called.

He was already moving, running up the ramp, which was only half lowered. He leapt from the drop ship and brought his sniper rifle up, scanning the area. "All clear, sir!"

"Ok! Let's move!"

The Marines flooded out of the drop ship, spreading out to secure the area. "Sir! Permission to secure an observation point on the hill side?" Ellis called.

"Get up there and give me a sit-rep Ellis."

"On it sir."

He took off at a jog, rifle barrel bobbing with each step. He scrambled up the hill, then paused at the ridge to take the area in. There was a valley about five hundred meters out, where a forest began. Ellis hopped over the ridge and slid down behind a rock cluster. He rested the sniper rifle on a boulder and took the area in through the scope. It was breathtaking wilderness, untouched and serene. He raised a hand to his comm-set, which was intergrated into his helmet. "All clear for as far as I can see, sir." He reported.

"Excellent work Corporal. Well done. We're advancing to the right, on the higher point of the valley. Get here and take point."

"Rog' sir. I'm moving up."

Ellis hefted the rifle and slid down the steep hill, saving time and energy from just running. He took off at a run, weaving through rocks. He was careful to take in his surroundings as he went, making sure the area was in fact clear. He saw a Marine up ahead. He slowed his pace, jogging to the platoon. A few Privates and a Lance Corporal nodded at him as he passed. He made his way to the front of the formation, where the Captain was. "I'm on point, sir?"

The CO nodded. "You know it."

Ellis trudged along, scanning the treeline. He watched as a flock of birds took flight from the trees. They were huge, with a wingspan of at least three meters. "Look at that." One of the Private's called.

"Shut it Emerson. And get your sorry ass back over here." The gunny growled.

The Private meekly stepped back towards the platoon. "Hey gunny, I thought West was your favourite victim. Don't tell me your laying off him. That's out whole mess entertainment." Brown called from near the rear.

The gunny grunted. "I'm saving him in case we get cut off and need food. Now shut the hell up and watch our flanks."

Ellis grinned and swept the treeline again. Still no movement. 'Another boring deployment.' He thought to himself. 'Bah, it's probably for the better. So many bloody rookies.' The only NCO's in the squad were the CO, gunny, Corporal McKinley and himself. Added to the fact that there were only six Lance Corporals, the other forty two members of the platoon were Private's. True, some of them had seen action before, but there were still to many greenhorn's for his liking. "Can't wait to be back on the Foreshadow..." One of the Private's grumbled.

"What, you think it's going to be quiet? Nah man, twenty bucks says we'll be engaged within two hours." Another replied.

"Twenty bucks? I'll take that action." The first replied, casually checking his MA5D.

"Uh, boss!" Ellis called, holding up a fist to signal the platoon to a halt. "Did CIC mention anything about Forerunner structures here?"

Ellis, the CO, gunny, McKinley, Brown, West and a cluster of Private's surveyed the opening to the structure. "Uhhh... Are we going down there?" West asked nervously, his eyes darting around the shadows.

"Shut it," Gunny growled, "I think I might be willing to make an exception and allow you to go on point, smartass."

"Jesus," West replied, furiously. "What's your problem with me?"

The gunny ignored him and walked down into structure, switching his MA5D tactical light. He swept the light across the shadows. "Well, I'm going to go out a limb here and assume this is clear." The gunny said sarcastically.

The structutre was one big room with a lift in the center, a pillar on each corner of the area surrounding the lift. Ellis moved carefully onto the lift. The floor was made of what could only be described as glass. It was about a meter thick, and slightly slippery. But the disconcerting thing was the fact it didn't reflect light at all, appearing not to be there. The lift tunnel descended as far down as Ellis could see, and obviously further. "Ellis? Get your ass back here. I don't want to be left with just one Corporal."

Ellis stepped back towards the rest of the squad. "Anyone want to volunteer and go down there?" He asked, slightly unnerved.

No-one responded. "Well, if you ladies won't go down there, we might as well mark it and head back to the platoon," The gunny said. "Anderson! Get on the LRC and inform CIC. West, give him our map reference."

"Ellis! Get your ass back up to..."

"Sir! Incoming emergency message on the E-Band... No wait... General emergency alert on ALL channels!" Anderson interrupted.

"Play it!" The CO said immediately.

"All hands, all hands, situation is Arizona: Red, repeat, Arizona: Red! General quarters, man your ba..."

The transmission cut off into static.

"Shit. SHIT."

That was West. The CO paused for a split second to consider their options. "Ellis! Get to the platoon, now! I want everyone back in this structure!"

"Sir!" Ellis yelled, taking off at a sprint.

He burst through the treeline, the platoon looking startled at his sudden entrance. "PLATOON! Fall in ON THE DOUBLE!"

For an NCO, Ellis didn't shout a lot. So when he did, you could tell shit was about to hit the fan. The platoon looked stunned for a second, before snapping into gear. They took off at a run towards the treeline. The CO cut in over the coms. "Ellis! We've got ODST pods incoming from the Foreshadow! Can you mark their location?"

Ellis raised a hand to block off the suns glare. He could see the Foreshadow in orbit... But those things didn't look like ODST SOEIV's... They looked like...

"Sir... Those aren't pods... Those are lifeboats." He whispered numbly.

Ellis watched the pods begin to enter the ring's atmosphere, fire streaking behind them. "Shit. Sir I can't track them, their moving to fast."

The CO cursed. "Get back here, now. We're going to hole up, set up the long range comms, and gain contact with those lifeboats."

"On my way."

Ellis walked backwards slowly, his eyes on the lifeboats. He turned and jogged back to the Forerunner structure, gripping his SRS tightly. He was more alert, his senses heightened. A deafening crack sounded from somewhere high above. 'Lifeboats breaking the speed of sound.' He realised. He glanced up to see a lifeboat roar over him, several kilometres up. He searched the sky for the Foreshadow, but she must have been blocked by the clouds. He saw the structure ahead, with a dozen Marines arranged around the entrance, rifles up. The other Corporal, McKinley, stood with them. "CO wants you up back. Organising search parties I think."

Ellis nodded. "Thanks."

He stepped past the Marine line and approached the CO, gunny, and Anderson, listening intently to the long range coms. The CO turned to address Ellis as he approached. "Ok Corporal, here's what we know. The Foreshadow was hit by an energy protection beam, similar to those used by the Sentinel's on the other installations. Thing is, it was huge and vanished so quickly they couldn't track it's origin. The Foreshadow is crippled, with the rest of the fleet pulling back to a safe distance. We've got ODST's, Marines, Naval personnel, and even the rumour of a few Spartan squads down here. So, I want you to take a few of our boys, and locate any survivors. Try and get them back here, so we can organise a counter-attack. Understood?"

"Yes sir. Who will I have with me?"

"Unfortunately, we can't spare as many men as I'd like. You'll have Lance Corporal West and Private's Emerson, Green, Hollis, Davis and Murphy. That's as many as I can give you son."

Ellis nodded. "Thank you sir. Should be plenty."

**Rightio guys. This is my first fanfic :D so please make sure to review, good or bad, and if you like the story so far, follow :D next chapter will be a bit more plot development and introducing some more main characters aside from our Marine sniper :D *cough* Helljumpers *cough***


	3. Chapter 3: Unwanted Acquaintance's

"JESUS CHRIST."

2nd Lieutenant Jack Everett couldn't help shouting as the Foreshadow shifted from another explosion. He flushed bright red immediately, his men looking at him like he was insane. He wasn't an experienced ODST officer. He hadn't even been deployed via SOEIV before. He pushed through the decks, making his way to "Hell's Waiting Room", as it was dubbed by the Helljumpers. The ODST company was catching up on some sleep when the beam had struck. It sheered through god knows how many decks, obliterating any personnel there. He had a few good buddies who had been on the affected decks when they had been hit. 'No. Not now.' He thought to himself. He had to be focused on getting the company off the crippled carrier. He spotted a cluster of naval personnel up ahead, corpsman judging by the medical badges. They looked lost, uncoordinated. "Sailors! What are you doing here? Wouldn't it be best to be on one of the lifeboats headed off this tub?"

An officer pushed his through the eleven other corpsmen. Everett flinched. A naval Lieutenant Commander, a full two ranks ahead of Everett. "Indeed Lieutenant. However, we're still unsure if we've been boarded or not, and I don't want to take my men and women through unclear sections of the ship."

He spoke with a typical officer dialect, polite and clear-cut. Everett still wasn't used to it. He would have been much better off as a Sergeant, because he was brash, loud, and not very subtle. It was one of the things the ODST's respected the most about him. The Lieutenant Commander, in his subtle way, was asking for ODST's to guide him and his men to the nearest lifeboats. Everett let out an inward sigh. "McLean! Grab half a dozen men and guide the sailors to a boat."

The Sergeant, McLean opened his mouth to argue but was cut off by Everett. "Move it Sergeant. Sooner it's done, sooner we can get the hell of this tub and do what we do best."

"Ooh-rah!" The ODST's called in unison.

The Sergeant nodded and grabbed six men. They guided the corpsmen down towards a lifeboat. "Thank you Lieutenant," The LC said. "Best of luck."

"You too sir. Ok you lazy shits, let's get the hell off this tub."

Petty Officer 3rd Class Brianna Elder strode down the corridor with her fellow corpsmen. The ODST's didn't seem happy to guide them, but they also didn't seem in the mood to argue with their officer. The Sergeant led the way, his M7S Sub-Machine Gun held loosely. He obviously didn't believe there was any reason for the ODST's to have to guide the corpsmen. Elder glanced at the ODST across from her. His armour wasn't exactly regulation worthy. Then again, the ODST were a little... Eccentric. His helmet had a cyan strip down the middle, ending at the visor and beginning again at his jaw, with the silver visor polished to perfect reflection. His chest plate was completely cyan, as was his shoulder pads. He had what looked like cyan tribal markings along the right forearm armour plating. The ODST Sergeant had an orange strip running diagonally across his chest plate, with a wicked looking knife on the right side of his chest plate. The creepiest ODST had to be the one bringing up the rear though. His armour was splattered in what looked like dried Sangheili blood, with a scary kukri knife across his lower back. The right side of his visor had a horrific demon-like face carved across it, which ended exactly on the middle point and didn't extend across to the left side. A SAW was held in his hands, with a BR55 slung across his back. A series of tally's had been carved into his chest plate, which was half-full with the marks. He walked with an air of indifference, as if nothing could touch him. Elder turned her attention away from him, concentrating on the task at hand. An array of lifeboats were arranged around the wall in front of them. "Well sir, I doubt you need us anymore, so if you don't mind, we'll just be on our way." The Sergeant said.

Lieutenant Commander Zubiati nodded. "Best of luck trooper."

The Sergeant grunted a reply and turned back towards the way they had come. The six ODST's fell in step behind him as they jogged to the launch bay. "Cheery bunch," The LC said under his breath. "Ok corpsmen, onto the pod."

Elder watched the ODST's jog into the distance, as another explosion rocked the carrier. "Waiting for something Petty Officer?"

Elder turned around to see the LC watching her, gesturing towards the lifeboat. "Sorry sir." She replied quietly, and took a seat in the lifeboat.

Everett was strapped into his pod, restraining belts keeping him firmly to the chair. His M7S was secured to his right, while a DMR was on his left. The company CO, Major Menendez, had suggested being able to silently deal with any contact, which was why Everett had chosen the M7S over an MA5D. He would have preferred an MA5D, but the M6S wasn't going to cut it for serious engagements. The Foreshadow gave another slight shift from an explosion. The next second Everett was slammed against the side of his pod as the Foreshadow was ferociously shaken. "Jesus! What the hell was that boss?" He called over the comms to the CO.

"Aw hell. We've got Covenant Loyalist ships a few million kilometres off. A massive fleet by the looks of it, larger then we thought they had. Energy shot from one just cut us up, almost took the bridge out. We're getting the hell of this tub." The Major replied.

He cut the private comm channel and opened a company wide one. "All hands! Dropping in one mike! Hot drop conditions!"

A series of green acknowledgment lights flicked on from squad leaders. Everett exhaled a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. 'Relax. It's just a quick ride. Nothing serious. Once you get down there, you'll be fine.' He tried to convince himself, to no avail.

'Shit...' He thought as the countdown timer hit zero.

Exactly one hundred and twenty ODST pods blasted from the underside of the Foreshadow. They had barely made it two kilometres in less then three seconds when plasma pulses began to rain apon them. Fourteen ODST pods were hit before the occupants of the others switched to manual control to bring them down through the hail of plasma. Everett felt his pulse race as a streak of plasma flashed past his pod and impacted with another, barely thirteen meters away. The concussion slammed into his pod, sending him spinning away from the company. He caught a glimpse of the Major's pod hurtling towards the ring, before the Covenant's version of a flak-round tore into his pod, sending him spinning down towards the ring's surface. He tried to remain conscious, but the darkness took him.

Elder watched as her lifeboat streaked away for the Foreshadow and down towards the surface of the ring. She gripped the restraining straps tightly, her knuckles going white. She closed her eyes and hoped for the best as a Covenant ship fired pulse after pulse of plasma into space, trying to hit the lifeboats and ODST pods. 'Shit. We're in a bad way once we get down there. We don't even have enough weapons for us all.' She though to herself in despair. There had only been three M6G Magnum's in the small weapons locker on the pod. And barely enough clips for three each. The LC, and a Warrant Officer Class One Sara Steele, who was the most senior non-commissioned medic, were the only officially combat certified personnel. A young Seaman, Tyler Crittenden, who had lived on a farm for his entire life had been issued the other pistol, due to his experience with firearms. Elder hugged her restraining straps as the lifeboat began to buck and shake as it entered the atmosphere. She watched as the landscape began to make sense. They were headed for a wooded valley, with large, rolling hills and plenty of pine tree's. 'Wait. They can't be pine tree's... Can they?' She thought to herself. She shook the question away, trying to focus. The lifeboat's rockets flared, slowing their descent. "Brace!" The pilot called, her voice containing a nervous quiver. Elder screwed her eyes shut as they slammed into the ground. The pod slide down the slope at about fifty kilometres an hour, before smashing through two trees and coming to rest against a third one after a heavy impact. She felt like she had whiplash, and her head was throbbing something chronic, but she was alive. She breathed a sigh of relief, then groaned when she tried to remove the restraint straps. She took a look around the pod. Everyone else was moving, aside from the pilot. The LC undid his harness and tapped her on the shoulder. He swore loudly and shook his head. "Right. Everyone, get yourselves up. We need to go, right now. This pod is a beacon for any Covenant forces in the area."

The corpsmen gradually began to regain their senses. Crittenden crouched at the hatch, his pistol ready. He opened it and stepped out into the sublight. A loud snap sounded, not unlike a whine, and Crittenden was thrown backwards, two smoking holes through his chest. He fired the pistol by reflex, the 14.5mm slug burying itself into the dirt outside the pod. The corpsmen broke and ran, trying to find cover as plasma lashed the area around them. The LC scurried from the pod, firing as he went. The WO was taking cover behind a series of rocks, trying to suppress the Covenant forces. Elder ran as fast as she possibly could, sliding behind a tree. Several blobs of plasma struck the ground around her, sending white hot fragments flying. She hugged her knees to her chest and closed her eyes, hoping the nightmare would end painlessly.

Ellis snapped around at the distinct sound of plasma fire. "Shit. Let's get the hell over there."

For all the plasma fire he could hear, which was a hell of a lot, the worrying thing was he could only hear the occasional M6G return shot. The team bolted towards the gunfire, hurdling over rocks and fallen tree's. He could see dark smoke from several large hills over. They were entering a valley, a perfect killzone. "Screw it. Let's hurry it up."

The Private's were all maintaining good form, barely breaking a sweat after only leaving bootcamp so recently. West, however, was at the rear, sweating. "Je...sus." He huffed. "This bet... Better not be a gr... Group of... Spartan's or something."

Ellis ignored him and took off through the valley, pulling ahead of the rest of the team. He was vaguely aware of the sweat pouring down him, the weight of his pack, the SRS in his hands. But it was unimportant. Everything right then was unimportant. The only thing that mattered was killing. And he was damned if he was going to fail at that.


	4. Chapter 4: Landfall

**First of all, thank you to Star Wars X-Over Fan and AzraelRavenwing for the follows and Star Wars X-Over fan once again for the favourite, it means a lot :D I cannot stress is enough everyone, please review! It's killing me not knowing what you think :( **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Halo, 343, Xbox, or any related and equally awesome industries.**

Elder felt tears running down her face. She shook uncontrollably as she buried her face in her arms. The Covenant had been getting ever closer, as the LC and WO tried to conserve their ammo. Plasma shots rang out continually, some striking the tree she was trying to hide behind. At least four more corpsmen had been hit, due to the screaming she had heard. It was almost completely silent now though. Plasma shots and alien war cry's echoed through the valley. Elder risked a glance around the edge of the tree, her body shaking uncontrollably. She peeked around, to the sight of a red armoured Elite standing barely a dozen meters away. She pulled her head back behind the tree as the Elite noticed her and fired. The plasma rounds blew hole after hole in the trunk, barely fifteen centimetres above her. She heard the LC give a yell, the WO scream at her to move, the throaty roar of the Elite. A massive hand gripped her neck and pulled her from her hiding place. She stared into the multiple-jawed face of the Elite. It's mandibles split open as it screamed a challenge. She screamed in response and tried to punch it, but the massive alien was choking her, and holding her to far away from its body. It pulled an energy sword from its hip, and ignited it. She closed her eyes as the huge bastard raised the crackling blade.

All she was aware of was a deafening crack, and then she was falling. She hit the ground heavily, trying to draw air into her lungs. She glanced up at where the Elite was standing. It was gone, lying on the ground a meter away with half it's face blown off. Another crack and, unbeknownst to her, another Elite, clad in blue armour, fell. She saw movement from the valley near her, but couldn't focus. Her vision was blurry and all she wanted to do was sleep.

'Pain. So much bloody pain.'

2nd Lieutenant Everett opened his eyes slowly. He recognised the interior of his pod, but only barely. Holes had been blown through it in quite a few places. He had a dozen different burns and penetrating injuries across his arms, legs and chest, but he was alive. He slammed the hatch release for the pod. It blew open, sending the light hatch flying. His pod was lying on its side, at bottom of a very large cliff face. He groaned and checked his weapons. The M7S was a mangled wreck, savaged by the same source that wrecked the pod. The DMR however, was in working condition. He grabbed the rifle and slung it over his shoulder. He then took a deep breath and checked his bio-signs. 'No internal bleeding at least.' He thought to himself. But he had three penetrating injuries that had gone clean through him, one on his left leg, and one on each arm. He had a series of low grade burns that had managed to sear through his armour. He had a broken rib, along with a dislocated finger, but that was the worst of it. He would have a lot of bruising later, but nothing life threatening. He tugged off the glove on his left hand. His index finger was clearly out of place. He gripped it, gritted his teeth, and pulled. There was a loud pop as it slid back into place. Everett blinked back tears for a second as he pulled his DMR off his back and began the long trek to find his company.

"OPEN FIRE!" Ellis bellowed.

His sniper rifle cracked loudly, and he grinned in satisfaction as the red-armoured bastard holding the female corpsman dropped like a brick. He shifted his aim and fired again, the 14.5mm slug blowing apart a blue-armoured Elite's head. "Move up! Secure the survivors!" He called over the squad comms.

The fireteam swarmed over the rocks, firing as they went. Ellis paused and fired, dropping another blue Elite trying to flank one of the corpsmen armed with a pistol. He slid down the side of the valley. He landed and fired the sniper rifle at an Elite rushing him, almost point blank. The slug blew through it's chest, leaving a hole almost half a foot wide. He smoothly side-stepped, reached down and unholstered his pistol, and fired as the Elite fell, the 12.7mm High Explosive round hitting the alien in the neck, almost blowing his head completely off his body. He dropped the sniper rifle and slowly advanced, searching for more Elite's. He could hear the occasional staccato rip of assault weapons, but returning plasma fire was getting less and less. Ellis edged around a tree, risking a peek at the terrain. He saw a blue armoured Elite scrabbling over the rocks, trying to get a vantage point. Before he could aim in on him, an assault rifle let out a staccato bark. The Elite fell, a dozen rounds in his back. West gave a whoop over the comms. "Hell yeah! We clear to check the navy, boss?"

Ellis raised a hand to his comm-set, more out of habit then any necessity. "Do it. But keep your eyes open. There could be more Elites nearby."

"Nah man. Any Elites nearby would have come running to engage us. Fifty bucks says we're clear."

Ellis was about to chew the Lance Corporal out when a plasma shot cracked through the air. "Fifty bucks huh? I could shout the guys at the mess hall with that."

"Oh, bullshit dude. You didn't take the bet."

"I have now." Said Ellis with an evil grin, just as another plasma rifle whined nearby.

**Sorry for the short one guys, been doing a lot of stuff getting ready for exams, next one will be 3,000 words at the least, promise :D**


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